The Kirkus Prize is one of the richest literary awards in the world, with a prize of $50,000 bestowed annually to authors of fiction, nonfiction and young readers’ literature. It was created to celebrate the 81 years of discerning, thoughtful criticism Kirkus Reviews has contributed to both the publishing industry and readers at large. Books that earned the Kirkus Star with publication dates between November 1, 2014, and October 31, 2015, are automatically nominated for the 2015 Kirkus Prize, and the winners will be selected on October 23, 2015, by an esteemed panel composed of nationally respected writers and highly regarded booksellers, librarians and Kirkus critics.

KIRKUS REVIEW

In the 15th of the series featuring LAPD Lieutenant Peter Decker and his Orthodox Jewish wife Rina Lazarus, a hot-blooded offspring upstages them.

She’s a firecracker, all right—Officer Cindy Decker, Peter’s Ivy-educated daughter, with her smart mouth, explosive temper, and predisposition to ride roughshod over time-honored police protocols. If she’s drawn to a case, she’ll find a way to make it hers, heedless of high-echelon noses out of joint and veiled threats to her career. When Cindy finds a baby girl abandoned in a Dumpster, the officer’s manual says that it’s time to send in the detectives to locate the mother. Though Cindy takes a shot at being prudent, it really doesn’t suit her. Drawn to the puzzle of the child’s family, she’s certain that somewhere out there is an answer waiting for her to discover it. With only two years on her service record and no gold shield in sight, she nevertheless plunges into an investigation that soon turns extraordinarily complex—not just a search for a missing mom, but a white-hot manhunt for rapist-killers. Tempestuous as she is, Cindy’s no fool. She knows where to go when she’s in over her head: to Peter, who helps her prove that the bottom-feeders are no match for the double Deckers.

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